Ballroom Dancer

A small framed painting on the wall at Flying Apron (Redmond, WA)
See it on Etsy

Color Inspiration - Mustard Plant

Color Inspiration with 2015 Color of the Year - Marsala (4th from left)

This little Mustard plant self seeded itself next to some bright green Euphorbia in my garden last spring.

Color of the Year - Marsala

Looking at how Pantone's new color of the year works into a Purple and Gold color palette!

Color palette from a few days ago - with added 'Marsala'

Color Inspiration - Purple and Gold Flowers

My cutting garden is full of Purple and Gold flowers, in a variety of shades and hues.

Want to create bouquets that glow with color? I live by my motto that all colors can work together! Just remember that if you want to pull together colors that are very different from each other, simply add transitions:

By pairing equally saturated versions of each of the complementary colors - intense purple salvia and buddleia with orange-yellow rudbeckia, I can then pull in the warmer, less intense hues - light yellow rose, beige-orange african daisy, red-purple spiky flower (which I can't remember the name of!). The african daisy works well in the palette not just because it is in the yellow-orange color family, but also because the center acts as a perfect transition from orange to purple.

p.s. Note that Radiant Orchid (#coloroftheyear) is included in this palette - 6th from the left

Have fun playing with color!
If you want to learn more: Artful Color for Creative Projects
All color wheels from: Eye For Color

Color Inspiration - Pink African Daisy

The color combo in this photo is so unique - adding a bit of grey-blue to the traditional complement of purple and gold, I just had to create a color swatch - hope you enjoy!

For an entire book of Color Inspiration - pick up a copy of Artful Color for Creative Projects

Add a Pop of Color!

Color Inspiration - Painted Poppy Pods

I painted this piece for a client who loves purple and teal in muted, earthy undertones.  I used various values and saturation levels, but felt I needed something more to make the palette pop. By consulting my color wheel, I realized that just a hint of cool gold would help create more movement and interest, yet still work within her color palette.

Color week - Gold

Today is GOLD day! Play along with Curious Girl, Lisa's color week!